But St-Pierre said despite this "Boko Haram remains an extremely potent and risky organisation" which was far from being "on the back foot", as the military has claimed.

A military source in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, said there had been more aerial offensives in the Marte, Kukawa, Monguno and Abadam areas of northern Borno.

While Nigeria's military in recent months has flushed Boko Haram from its forest stronghold, President Muhammadu Buhari's claim late a year ago that the extremist group had been "crushed" has proven to be premature.

The town's name was changed temporarily to Madinatul Islam, or "City of Islam" in Arabic, during the Boko Haram occupation.

He said, "Today's attack appears to be yet another example of Boko Haram's continued unlawful disregard for human life".